Tragic Duel
by kanade22
Summary: Jonouchi and Mai have entered Kaiba's last tournament, the "KC Tournament at Sea". They meet Crystal, a redheaded girl who seems to be a bit of a loaner. Rumor has it that Crystal has an ultra rare card in her deck. What could it be? JonXMai.
1. Chapter 1: Auditions

Tragic Duel Chapter 1

There was a large crowd outside the Kaiba Corporation Tokyo headquarters. Just last week Seto Kaiba had announced that he would be holding one last duelist tournament before the construction of his new dueling school began. This tournament was partially held to seek out potential students, but it was also Kaiba's last planned publicity stunt before the project actually started.

The crowd outside the building was nothing compared to the line of duelists on the inside that circled around the large entrance room multiple times. On the very outside ring stood Jonouchi, wishing he had gotten there earlier. The announcement Kaiba had made stated that the doors would be opening for registration at seven in the morning, and so that is exactly when Jonouchi arrived. He had not thought that there would have been a crowd of duelists that had been waiting since the night before.

"Ugh," Jonouchi whined along with his stomach. "Why didn't I think to come earlier?" Jonouchi bent down as the pain in his stomach grew.

"Get up," he heard a familiar voice order as he stared at the floor. "You look pathetic hunched over like that."

"But I'm so hungry!"

"Here," a manicured hand waved a power bar in front of Jonouchi's face.

"Thanks!" Jonouchi grabbed the food as he shot up into a standing position. There he could see his friend standing in front of him. "Mai!"

Mai smiled back.

"What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like? I'm going to win Kaiba's last duelist tournament."

"That's not what I mean. I mean, you would have been one of the people who came here before the doors opened. So why aren't you farther up in line?"

"Oh. Went for a bathroom break and the whole place was flooded with duelists when I came back out."

"Oh, today just is not your day then."

"Clearly."

"Hey, did you hear about the prize the winner gets? Apparently whoever wins the tournament gets three rare cards. I wonder how rare they are though."

"Depends on who makes it to the final four."

"Huh?"

"I overheard Kaiba talking about it. He said that the winner of the tournament gets to keep the rarest card of the each of the losers' decks. That must be why the registration is being held like this, so Kaiba and his committee can decide if you have a rare enough card to be worth playing for."

"I see." The line moved slowly as Jonouchi and Mai talked about what they had been doing since they saw each other the last time at Duelist Kingdom. It was almost three-o-clock before either of them made it to the front of the line. Jonouchi was first.

"Next up," Mokuba was announcing to Seto and the other committee member, "is Jonouchi Katsuya."

"No," Seto immediately cast his vote.

"Kaiba!" Jonouchi protested "Don't just say 'no' before I even get a chance!"

"Once a vote is cast you can't take it back."

"Well I vote yes." Mokuba countered.

"Take that back."

"Can't"

"Well I for one," the unknown committee member began, "would like to know just what rare card this young man holds."

"Red Eyes Black Dragon," Jonouchi announced proudly as he pulled the card from his deck.

"Oh, could I have a look?" Jonouchi brought the card over to the older man, who then took it and examined it closely. "It's in great condition. You rarely find any card that looks as new as this one without having been in a package moments ago."

"I've had Red Eyes for years."

"Impressive how well you've taken care of it. I vote yes."

"Congratulations Jonouchi," Mokuba said, "You've made it into the KC tournament at sea."

"Crap," Seto muttered.

"Haha," Jonouchi chanted as he took the manila folder that was handed to him and walked out of the room. It did not take him long to sniff out the breakfast bar that had been set up for the duelists who made it into the tournament. As he was preparing to gorge himself with a plate piled high with sweets, Mai walked in. Jonouchi waved.

"I see you made it in too." Jonouchi commented with a pastry in his mouth.

"Of course." Mai responded as if his comment was too obvious. "Hey, how did she get through there so fast?"

Jonouchi looked up to see a tall girl with her long bright red hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was wearing tight fitting jeans that had been cut off at the knee, a plain white t-shirt and a black leather vest that matched her black leather hat.

"Was that the girl who was standing behind us?" Jonouchi wondered, since she looked slightly familiar.

"Yes, she went in right after me. They decided on her pretty quick if she's down here already."

"She must have a good card then."

"I wonder just what it is. We should go ask her." Without waiting for a response, Mai grabbed Jonouchi by the collar of his shirt and headed towards the food table where the redheaded girl was standing.

"Hey there" both Mai and Jonouchi greeted at once.

"Hi," the girl coldly responded.

"My name is Jonouchi, this is Mai we came to wish you luck!"

"Thanks."

"What's your name?" Mai asked.

"Crystal."

"That sounds like an American name. Where are you from?"

"California." the girl who never looked up from the food table was not willing to give a more-than-one-word answer. She grunted at any open-ended question intending to blow them off. After a while, Jonouchi and Mai realized that Crystal had no intention on talking to them any further.

"She seems nice." Jonouchi sarcastically commented after sitting down with a mouth full of food.

"Maybe she's just shy." Mai defended.

"She doesn't seem like the shy type."

"Attention duelists," Kaiba's voice rang over the intercom, "we will now be boarding the KC Cruiser for the start of the tournament. Any necessary information and the key to you room along with your duelist tag have been provided in the envelopes that were handed to you. Please keep your tag visible on your person at all times. The KC Cruiser will be leaving in one hour."

As soon as Kaiba ended his announcement, the crowd of duelists frantically started moving towards the exit, each one scrambling to get a hold of their tags.

"Nervous?" Mai asked Jonouchi as they were boarding.

"A little. You?"

"Not really. I'm excited, I haven't been on a cruise ship in such a long time."

"Yeah, me either. I hope I don't get seasick. Also wish Yugi would have showed up."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know, but I haven't ever been in a tournament where he wasn't there to support me. And since only duelists and staff are aloud on the boat, Shizuka and the others won't be here to cheer me on."

"Well you have me, as long as we're not dueling each other or at the same time, I'll come to cheer you on."

"Thanks, Mai. I'll cheer for you too." With that being said, they boarded the ship and set sail.


	2. Chapter 2: Supporting

Chapter 2

"Attention Duelists!" the green-haired announcer seemed to be yelling into the microphone, which caused the whole room to shake. "Welcome to the KC Tournament at Sea!"

The crowd cheered. The KC Cruiser had been sailing for a whole day before the tournament started. During that time it was as if the duelists were on a luxury cruise vacation. There were spa treatments, a large pool with long waterslides, and an all-day all-you-can-eat buffet (Jonouchi's favorite thing). Although Mai would have loved to be enjoying the spa treatments all day long, she could not take her mind of the girl they had met that first day.

"She doesn't talk to anyone," Mai was thinking aloud while Jonouchi filled himself with roasted pork. "She's always alone. Poor girl. Even if everyone on the ship is dueling in the tournament, everyone has someone they talk to. For support."

"Maybe she's just a loaner." Jonouchi suggested, "You can kind of understand that I guess."

"Not without knowing why."

"Are you going to ask her? The last time I checked, she didn't want to share."

"I guess not. I'm just concerned."

"You can relate, probably more than anyone else around here can, it's understandable."

"You know you say some profound things on occasion Jonouchi."

Jonouchi gave Mai a very confused look.

"Only occasionally." She winked as she stood up to get a refill on her tea. At the drink station, Mai noticed Crystal standing by the desserts. She knew that it may have been the better choice to ignore her, and she was positive that Crystal would not be more friendly than the last time, but she walked up next to the red-haired girl anyway.

"Hi there," Mai greeted.

Crystal grunted in response.

"You know if you're here alone, you can come and hang around with me and my pal over there when we're not all dueling."

"Hmm."

"Do you have any friends in the tournament?"

"No."

"So you have people supporting you at home right?"

"Counting on me."

"Counting? So you need the prize money."

Crystal grunted.

"Well either way we can all have fun while we're here."

"Mai-san,"

Mai was shocked at the sound of her name, followed by a full sentence, coming from the girl.

"We are here to compete. We are _rivals_ and I have no intention on relying on other duelists for moral support. I can handle it on my own."

Mai was stunned, not because Crystal just out right rejected her offer, but because she heard some of the thoughts she once held dear in Crystal's words. As Mai rejoined Jonouchi, she was thinking of a plan. The next day, she put it into action.

Because of the large number of duelists, there were three dueling arenas on the ship, and at any given moment there were three duels in progress. The duelists on standby were free to roam the ship and watch the duels as they pleased.

Mai had made it her mission to support Crystal in her duels whenever it was possible so when the duelist board was put up, she wrote down all the times and places of not only her own duels, but Jonouchi's and Crystal's too. With the support of those who she now calls her friends, Mai remembers that she eventually opened herself up to others. This was the plan she had for Crystal.

It was not an easy task keeping track of the duels for three duelists, and when it happened that Jonouchi and Crystal were dueling at the same time, Mai had to decide to support one or the other. After hearing about the plan, Jonouchi also took whatever free time he had to support Crystal; although, at first she was not particularly open to the idea.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped at Mai the first time she showed up on the floor beside the arena where Crystal's duel was being held.

"Supporting." Mai answered simply.

Crystal rolled her eyes and dueled as if Mai was not there. In her next duel, only Jonouchi was available to show up. At first he was going to cheer on Mai, but Mai told him to get to Crystal's duel before it started.

He got there just in time, bursting through the door yelling "FIGHT CRYSTAL FIGHT!" just as she was drawing her first hand.

Crystal grunted and ignored him also. Either Mai or Jonouchi managed to show up at each of Crystal's first duels. At the third one, both of them were able to cheer on the sidelines for most of the duel, until Jonouchi had to rush to another arena for one of his duels. By the time her fifth duel had come around, Crystal expected at least one of them to show up. She would have never admitted that she was always hoping for it although, that was entirely possible.

There was no denying Crystal's skill as a duelist. Most of her duels were finished before an hour was up, and Crystal always came out the winner. The competition was a double-elimination, and because of her cold nature, most of the duelists eliminated by Crystal were fired up for a possible rematch further later. None of them made it that far.

Jonouchi had lost once, but he redeemed himself with three wins in a row to make it into the semi-final bracket. Mai had a few close calls, but won every duel. Crystal on the other hand, made dueling look like child's play, winning spectacularly every time.


	3. Chapter 3: Banquet

Chapter 3

Once the preliminaries were over, the KC Cruiser stopped at a pier in Tokyo and all of the duelists that did not make it to the semi-finals were sent home. That night the remaining duelists stayed in a fancy hotel by the cost where Kaiba hosted a banquet for all of the semi-finalists.

Mai insisted that she needed a new dress for the banquet, while Jonouchi was more interested in the Hotel's restaurant than his apparel for the banquet. Mai planned on going shopping alone until she saw Crystal walking into the dress store across from the hotel.

Mai entered and began browsing through the dresses on the same rack Crystal was looking through. Crystal had a harder time ignoring Mai than she had during the duels. She felt the pressure of a conversation starting, and unlike during her duels, she had no excuse to respond.

"These dresses are pretty expensive." Mai began.

"Uh-huh." Crystal responded less coldly than she usually would have.

"But I guess you wouldn't want to get caught at one of Kaiba's banquets underdressed."

"Guess."

"Probably want to have coordinated jewelry like the ones they have over on that counter. Maybe I should take some of those to try on with the dresses."

"Good idea."

That response left Mai speechless for a while since Crystal had never actually complemented her before. Although Crystal remained quiet for the most part, she did not completely ignore Mai. After each girl selected a few possible options with possible accessories, they both headed into separate dressing rooms that were right next to each other.

"Hey," Mai began as she pulled on the first dress "could I get your opinion on some of these dresses?"

"Sure."

"Okay I have the first one on." Both Mai and Crystal stepped out in their first dresses. Crystal was wearing a shiny silver one that brightly reflected the light in many different directions. "Wow."

"Well if I stay out of direct light." Crystal sarcastically remarked as she inspected Mai's pink dress with the skirt that flared.

"Well?"

Crystal shook her head. "You look like strawberry shortcake."

"So, no."

"Yeah, that wasn't a complement." The girls tried on multiple other dresses before deciding on a silky, purple dress that reached the knees for Mai and a simple, long, grey, dress for Crystal. And then of course there was the jewelry to try, and even though Mai had taken some to try on in the dressing rooms, she did not like any of it. By the time the girls were done, the banquet was about to start.

"Hey, there you are!" Jonouchi called as the girls entered the banquet room. The room was large and a huge chandelier hung from the ceiling in the middle. There were tables covered in white cloths surrounded by artfully crafted chairs scattered though the room.

Jonouchi had not noticed the two girls enter the room together so it was a slight shock when Crystal walked up to them. He stared.

"Yo," Crystal simply greeted.

"Hi," Jonouchi was puzzled.

Crystal walked off to an empty table without saying anything else. Mai followed her, and Jonouchi followed Mai. Crystal seemed to be more sociable that evening. She commented on conversations here and there without ditching the other two.

"You know Crystal," Mai began after they had eaten desert, "even in a competition like this it's always good to have someone supporting you."

"Yeah," Jonouchi agreed, "that's why we've been showing up to all your duels. We may be rivals now, but we can still be friends at the same time."

"You act like I have no friends at all." Crystal commented.

"That's not necessarily what we were thinking," Mai countered "but you came here alone."

"No one else could come."

"Why?"

"We only got one invitation."

"Invitation? From who?"

"Kaiba."

"REALLY?" Jonouchi had become incredibly interested.

"Yeah. He paid for my trip from California to Tokyo."

"Well, why did he invite you?"

"Dunno for sure."

"But," Mai interjected, "you have friends back home watching right?"

"Family."

"You say that like you don't like them or something."

"Some."

"So, you must have the type of family that just gets on everyone's nerves." Jonouchi assumed.

"Pretty much." The group sat silently for a long moment after that. Crystal must have realized that the other two were waiting for more of an explanation because she said "I'm not talking about them if that's what you're waiting for."

"Oh," they replied at once. Jonouchi and Mai began talking about lighter subjects again: the duels, other semi-finalists, the food they had just eaten, and various other topics. When the banquet ended they all split up to head to their own rooms. Although Crystal was not the most open person, she had become friendlier, at least with Mai and Jonouchi. She gave the other duelists the same treatment she would have given anyone before the tournament started.


	4. Chapter 4: UltraRare

Chapter 4

The KC Tournament at Sea was coming to a close with the semi-finals half way through. Each duelist had to win three duels in the semi finals to make it into the finals. There was no limit on the number of duels one duelist could play as long as every finalist had defeated three semi-finalists. The duels were chosen in the same way the semi-final duels were in Battle City; each duelist had a number and a lottery machine picked the duelists at random.

Jonouchi was picked for the first battle. He dueled a girl from China who had a mechanical-creature based deck. Jonouchi won that round. Mai was picked for two duels in a row, one against the girl Jonouchi defeated and one against a boy with a dark-monster deck. She won both rounds. Crystal played a girl from Tokyo after Mai's second duel and won before ten minutes was up. Jonouchi played twice after that to make it into the finals. Mai dueled once more and won her spot in the finals. A chef from Tokyo played three duels in a row and made it into the finals. With three spots taken, Crystal was still two wins away from qualifying until she defeated the boy with the dark-monster deck.

The final duel was a tough one. Crystal verses the girl from China. Crystal had never been in such an exciting duel in all her life. Crystal's fairy-based deck was powerful and it seemed that the mythical-creature deck could have been an even match.

**LP= Crystal: 500, Girl from China: 2000**

The girl from China summoned **Ally of Justice Clausolas** (2300/1200) in attack mode and placed one face down card and ended her turn.

"My turn." Crystal said calmly, as she always did. She drew her **Revive the Dead** magic card. "I'll play the magic card **Revive the Dead** to bring back my **Fairy of the Light** (1200/100)." She place the card on the duel disk and a tall blonde fairy dressed in a long white dress appeared on the field. "I also activate my face-down magic card, **Opposites Attract**. When I have a creature of either light or dark on the field this card allows me to summon a monster from my deck that has the opposite attribute. Right not I have a creature of light, so I am going to summon **Fairy of the Darkness** (1200/100) to the field in attack mode. I'll also lay one face down card and end my turn."

"It's my turn!" the girl from China announced. "Draw!" There was a pause as the girl strategized and then she announced, "I play **Mechanicalchaser** (1850/800) in attack mode, and activate my face down card **Rare Metalmorph** to add 500 to **Mechanicalchaser**'s attack points to bring it up to 2350. **Mechanicalchaser** attack **Fairy of the Light**!" At that command, the round monster with wings charged towards Crystal's **Fairy of the Light**.

"Activate face down card!" Crystal pushed one of the side buttons on her duel disk and revealed her trap card. "**Mirror Force**." The monster's attack was reflected back at it and **Mechanicalchaser** was sent to the graveyard.

"I end my turn," the opponent announced without laying a face down card.

"My turn. Draw!" Crystal announced. She had pulled the magic card **Fusion** from her deck. _"I may as well."_ Crystal thought to herself. _"I am about to loose."_ Aloud she said, "I activate the magic card **Fusion**! I combine my **Fairy of the Light** with my **Fairy of the Darkness** to create, **Yin-Yang Fairy** (2400/200)."

"Never heard of that one." Jonouchi commented from the sidelines. A tall fairy had appeared on the field. The left half of its long dress was white and the right half was black. The same pattern colored its hair.

"I have." Mai countered. "It's supposed to be the most rare fusion monster next to the **Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon**."

"There are only four of them in existence." Kaiba explained. "Pegasus made four and then supposedly awarded them to the four best high school student duelists three years ago."

"That must be how she got into the tournament so quickly."

"It is. She walked in, showed the card and we all immediately agreed. It's an ultra-rare card with a special ability."

"What ability is that?" Jonouchi asked.

"And now I activate Yin-Yang Fairy's special ability." Crystal announced. "By sacrificing 100 life points for each light or dark monster on the opponent's field" **(LP: 400) **"Yin-Yang Fairy can bypass those monsters and attack the player directly."

With no face down cards, and only one monster on her field, the Chinese girl took 2400 damage and lost the duel.

"The winner is Crystal!" the green-haired judge announced. "And with that we have our finalists!" The finalists cheered, including Crystal who never got ecstatic about her victories. That night all of the loosing duelists had to prepare to be dropped off in Tokyo. The boat stayed docked that night to allow friends and family of the finalists to board and watch the finals in person.

"We can't make it down tonight." Yugi was saying over the phone when Jonouchi called him. "I was just really sick so I have to make check with the doctor if it's okay for me to leave."

"You're in the HOSPITAIL?" Jonouchi panicked, "And you DIDN'T TELL ME?"

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't want you to worry. It was just an infection. I had to be on antibiotics for a while so I missed the sign ups, otherwise I might have participated."

"Might?"

"Yeah, I don't know if I really want to enter any more duel tournaments. Atem was always the duelist anyways."

"True, but you defeated Atem. Doesn't that make you as much of a duelist as he was?"

"I suppose. Either way I would have missed this one. I'll try to make it down there to support you tomorrow. I've been following the duels on the TV. Mai-san's in the finals too. I wish the both of you good luck."

"Thanks!" Mai, who had been standing close enough to Jonouchi to hear Yugi for only the past few seconds yelled into the receiver over his shoulder.

Yugi laughed.

"Thanks man. I think we made a new friend too. Crystal, the other girl in the finals." Jonouchi continued.

"Why do you say 'think'?"

"She's not really friendly."

"What? Does she give you the cold shoulder or is she kind of a-"

"Loner." Jonouchi and Mai both finished together. Jonouchi had repositioned the phone so that when the two put their heads close together they could both hear and speak to Yugi.

"I see. I'm sure she'll come around eventually if she has friends like you two supporting her."

"Of course."

"Well I have to go. Hopefully I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Bye, Yugi." They hung up the phone then Mai and Jonouchi began to walk back to the ship when they caught sight of Crystal at the payphone. She had a very solemn look on her face.

"I'm out of time," she was saying as the two passed her. There was a pause as the other person was speaking. "Yes, I promise . . . I know . . . See you tomorrow. Bye." Crystal hung up and turned around to see Mai and Jonouchi stopped in their tracks.

"Are you okay?" Mai wondered.

"Yeah . . . uh . . . family stuff."

"Well you said you didn't get along."

"Not often."

"But they're coming to see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah . . . uh . . . I'll have to make sure to give them a show." Crystal winked.

"Hey," Jonouchi interjected. "Can I ask something off topic?"

"Sure."

"How did you get the **Yin-Yang Fairy?**"

"Oh, that. It's just like the rumor Kaiba was talking about says. Pegasus gave them to the top duelists in high school. He held a small competition with 50 duelists, the best from each state, and the top four each got one of the cards, along with **Fairy of the Light** and **Fairy of the Darkness** cards so we had the right cards to combine them."

"I see."

"It's no surprise you won one." Mai complemented. "You're one of the best duelists I've ever met. It will be a challenge competing against you in the finals."

"You may not get the chance though. I could be the one who knocks Crystal out of the tournament."

"Hmm."

"Is that doubt I hear in your voice?"

"Maybe a little."

"Hey!" The two girls gave each other amusing looks as Jonouchi swore that he would defeat Crystal in the finals.

* * *

><p>AN: **Yin-Yang Fairy**, **Fairy of the light**, **Fairy of the Darkness**, and **Opposites Attract** are not actual cards. They are special cards created for this OC.


	5. Chapter 5: Audience

Chapter 5

The crew of the KC Cruiser was lively early the next morning, making preparations for the ship's final voyage of the tournament. Although all of the other duelists had been dropped off, there were new passengers boarding that day, the friends and family of the four finalists.

Crystal was pacing in her room with nerves on edge. Knowing about her arriving guests made her stomach turn upside down with fear. She always felt the need to prove herself in front of her family, but there was more pressure this time.

Mai had woken up early and was waiting in the café on the ship. She had not invited anyone herself, but was looking forward to seeing the others Jonouchi had invited. Jonouchi himself was barely awake when the ship's horn blew to signal to the first group of visitors at the pier.

"I'm up!" he shouted as Jonouchi scrambled to throw on some fairly clean clothes. He rushed to the lobby without any more preparations to greet the guests who had boarded, thinking that it was his own group. Jonouchi was more disappointed than surprised that the ones who had boarded were in fact the loved ones of the other finalist, the chef.

"Oh well," he said to himself. "Everyone has someone coming I suppose. I'm already awake so I'll just go get some food and wait for them." Mai was sitting at an empty table when Jonouchi entered. After hitting the buffet he joined her.

"Have you seen Crystal?" Mai asked as he sat down.

"Nope," Jonouchi said while taking a bite of toast. "I think the light was on in her room when I passed it though."

"Oh,"

"You worried?"

"Well last night, she didn't seem too happy about her family coming to support her. She looked worried to me."

"Families are like that sometimes."

"Well I just hope everything goes well for her. It's hard to focus on a duel if your mind is thinking of something else."

"True."

The ship's horn sounded the signal of another group of visitors on the pier. Jonouchi and Mai had gotten up to see who had arrived when a head perked around the corner of the café.

"Jonouchi!" Honda called as he tackled his friend out of the chair and to the ground.

"Boys," Mai laughed as she rolled her eyes.

A small voice laughed beside her. "Hello Mai-san."

"Yugi! You made it."

"Don't forget about us." Otogi greeted as he entered the room, followed by Shizuka.

"Shizuka!" Jonouchi cried as he leapt up and hugged his sister.

Shizuka giggled.

"Is this everyone?" Mai wondered. "Where's Anzu?"

"She couldn't get time off work." Shizuka explained.

"Oh, that's too bad. She'll be missing out on some very exciting duels."

"I'll bet." The friends laughed and talked together for a while, uninterrupted. Jonouchi and Honda thoroughly enjoyed the buffet while the rest caught up with Mai. After a while, the ship's horn signaled another group of visitors' arrival.

"That must be Crystal's family," Jonouchi assumed.

"We should go say 'hi,'" Mai suggested as she grabbed Jonouchi and headed towards the lounge. The others followed. Standing in the lounge was Crystal with a small girl hugging her arm and surrounded by four rough-looking boys.

Standing next to Crystal was a tall boy with black, spiked hair. He wore jeans and sneakers with a torn up t-shirt that had no sleeves. There was a tattoo of a flame on his right shoulder with numerous black dots surrounding it.

Standing behind Crystal was a tall, muscular, blonde man with long hair who wore basketball shorts and an old tank top. Beside him was a tall thin black man who wore jeans and a leather vest that were decked with silver chains. Off to the side was a shorter well-built man with brown hair and green eyes who wore jeans that were cut off at the knee with an unbuttoned plain black shirt.

The girl at Crystal's side looked very nervous. With any move Crystal made, the girl adjusted herself so that there was no space between the two girls. This small girl had curly brown hair, solid-grey eyes and wore a shiny silver t-shirt with blue Capri pants and black sandals.

"Hey Crystal!" Jonouchi called as the made their way across the room.

"Oh," Crystal breathed.

"Who's this? Your family."

"Yeah."

"Hey everyone. I'm Jonouchi Katsuya, the best of the four finalists."

"We'll see." Mai retorted. "I'm Mai."

"I'm Honda."

"My name is Shizuka."

"I'm Otogi."

"And this one here," Jonouchi said as he locked Yugi into a headlock, "is my best friend Yugi Muto."

"Nice to meet you," Yugi greeted.

"Hey," the black man replied. "I'm Slick." When standing close to Slick, the others could see a tattoo of a feather surrounded by black dots.

"I'm Bo," the large blonde man stated. As he crossed his arms, he revealed a lightning bolt tattoo on his right shoulder that was surrounded by a few black dots.

"JJ." the short one interjected. The sleeves of his shirt covered his shoulder, but there were visible black dots tattooed close to the edge of his right sleeve.

The man with the flame tattoo didn't respond.

"He calls himself 'Big D'," Crystal explained. "This one here is my little sister Kylie." Crystal stroked Kylie's hair with her free hand.

"Nice to meet you." Mai bent down to greet the little girl.

"You too." Kylie gave a shy smile, as her gaze seemed to look past the crowd. Mai turned around to find what Kylie could have been staring at, but saw nothing but a blank wall. She straightened up with a confused look on her face.

"Kylie's blind Mai-san," Crystal explained.

"Oh,"

"But I'm not," Slick smoothly commented as he slid to Mai's side.

"What?"

"I can see this _fine_ woman in front of me."

"Not interested."

"Oh, but baby,"

Crystal began murmuring something that sounded like "Baka baka baka baka baka baka."

"She said she's not interested," Jonouchi stepped in.

"What? Are you her boyfriend?" Slick teased.

Jonouchi was too furious and embarrassed to speak. He continued glaring at Slick.

"You wanna bash fists to see who wins the girl?"

"Excuse me!" Mai panicked.

"Woa!" Otogi and Honda stepped between the two boys.

"Okay now," Yugi added, "let's not get Jonouchi disqualified."

"Why not?" Slick taunted. "Less competition for Sis here, not that I would call him competition."

"What did you say?" Jonouchi roared.

"Just walk away," Mai said soothingly as she pulled on Jonouchi's shirt.

"Hmph. Some family you got here Crystal." Jonouchi commented as he was pulled away. He caught a glimpse of Crystal's look of shame before they turned the corner.

"What were you thinking?" Honda exploded when they had stopped walking. "You could have gotten yourself kicked out of the tournament!"

"I had it handled anyway." Mai calmly added.

"Yeah well . . . I mean . . . I was just-"

"Just what?"

"Jealous," he muttered.

Kaiba interrupted the long awkward silence that followed as he walked by ranting to Mokuba.

"Idiot gangbangers making a mess of my ship." he was saying.

"Gangbangers?" Yugi questioned.

"Yugi," Mokuba said as if he was surprised to see him.

"Have you met the CBRC?" Kaiba fumed.

"The what?"

"The California Band of Rare Card Hunters."

The others gave the brothers confused looks.

"Crystal's group," Mokuba explained.

"Oh!"

"Wait! Crystal's in a street gang?" Mai was shocked. She figured the red-haired girl was a loner and never would she have imagined Crystal in a gang.

"She's hanging out with one anyways. I'm not sure they let girls into the actual gang," Mokuba commented.

"How can you tell who they are Kaiba?" Otogi asked.

"I've done some research." Kaiba explained. "Those tattoos they have on their arms are the symbols of their membership. Each member gets a symbol representing a certain rare card on their arm as proof of their membership, and every time they collect a rare card, they get a black dot tattooed around the symbol.

"I've looked it up enough to recognize the members when I saw them. That kid with the black spiked hair is the leader, Derek Hunt. The big guy is Robert Crane, the black guy is Samuel Edwards, and the smaller one is Jacob Powell. They're a well-known gang in California. Mostly they duel others to win rare cards, but they have been known to use violence or cheating if the stakes are high enough."

"Oh,"

"And if Crystal's a part of their gang than she must be trying to win the three rare cards for the gang to sell," Honda assumed.

"Or they're threatening her," Mokuba added.

"Or both," Kaiba informed. "From what I know, this Derek guy isn't above using threats on his own gang members."

"I wonder though," Jonouchi trailed off. "She said they were her family. Isn't that strange?"

"Most times," Mai explained, "a member of a gang considers the other members their family."

"Well whatever it is, I don't trust them," Kaiba stated. "Not to mention that they're making a mess of my ship."


	6. Chapter 6: Duel!

Chapter 6

"Come on, tell me how it's going to work. PLEASE!" Jonouchi had been stalking Kaiba all morning trying to get him to reveal how the duels for the finals were chosen. The fact the Kaiba had kept the process a secret was nagging everyone, and Jonouchi was nagging Kaiba.

"No," was Kaiba's response.

"PLEASE!"

"Are you that anxious to know who's going to beat you?"

"What? No! I want to know who I'm going to be beating."

Kaiba turned to face Jonouchi, forcing him to come to a halt. "It's a random selection, so no one knows. Also, if you think a second-rate duelist like you is going to win against an undefeated duelist like Crystal, you're delusional."

"Hey! It could happen."

"Doubt it." Kaiba walked off without saying another word as Jonouchi glared at his back. The hours leading up to the finals were tense for all involved. Even Jonouchi had lost his excitable spirit. The duelists' minds were filled with strategy and worries of whom they would have to face the next day.

Crystal became suddenly more antisocial than she had been before her "family" arrived. Mostly she paced back and forth in the ship's long main hall with Derek Hunt following, whispering something that made the worried look on Crystal's face become increasingly more desperate. Since Derek seemed to never leave her side, no one got a chance to ask what was possibly making her so worried.

* * *

><p>The day had finally come, and the duelists, along with their friends were told to meet in the main arena. All of the duelists were making last minute preparations in their rooms while the audience found their places in the arena. Yugi and the others had stopped by Jonouchi and Mai's rooms to wish them luck in their duels. They caught sight of Crystal standing just inside the open door, looking anxious.<p>

"Good luck," Yugi said with a smile as he passed.

"Th-thanks," Crystal stuttered and then let out a weak laugh.

"Hey, just relax."

"Uh . . . yeah. I uh . . . just . . . I mean, winning this is really important so . . . I'm just nervous."

"Sis has got a lot riding on these next two duels." Derek commented as he appeared behind Crystal, slapping her on the shoulder.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Let's just say this; I don't put up with losers in my crew." Yugi and his friends stood shocked as the California Rare Card Hunters passed Crystal and walked down the hall with Kylie being lead by Slick.

She turned back to say, "Good luck sis," before they turned the corner to the elevator. Shizuka was the first one to speak after they left.

"I'm sorry if I'm being rude by asking this, but is there some type of bet on you winning the tournament?"

"Sort of," Crystal replied. "You're Jonouchi's sister aren't you?"

"Yes."

"I thought so. He mentions you a lot. I think he'd be willing to do anything to keep you safe, just like what I'm doing for Kylie."

There was a short pause before Shizuka gasped and asked, "They're not threatening her are they?"

Crystal nodded and added "Taking my little sister and joining a street gang was the dumbest decision I've ever made."

"Why did you do it?"

"For the money."

Before anything else could be said, an announcement rang through the halls of the ship saying, "All duelists please report to duel field one. All duelists please report to stage field one. The dueling order will be announced in ten minutes."

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later everyone was in position for the finals to start. Yugi and his friends, along with the rare card hunters and the friends of the chef sat in the rows of seats on the right side of the room. All four finalists stood in the center of the dueling field facing Seto and Mokuba who were about to announce the order of the duels.<p>

"For this competition," Mokuba announced, "Nii-sama and I decided to personally arrange the dueling bracket based on the duelists' performance instead of randomizing the selection. The first duel will be Kudjaku Mai vs. Sasaki Usi (the chef), followed by Katsuya Jonouchi vs. Crystal Cali. The winners of each duel will advance to the final round."

"The losers of each duel," Seto continued as he gave Jonouchi an expecting look, "will give up their rarest card to the winner. The loser of the finals will not only give up their most rare card, but the rare card they won in the first round. Now that everyone knows the rules . . ."

"DUEL!" Mokuba finished and the first to took their places as the others moved to the stands. The first duel was intense for everyone watching. Mai had not come so close to loosing in a fair fight since she lost to Yugi at Duelist Kingdom, although that was not the case this time. At the last possible second, Mai pulled a key card that allowed her to pull through and she made it to the final duel. There was a five-minute recess before Jonouchi and Crystal's duel began.

During the conversation between battles, Shizuka seriously considered telling her brother about the conversation she had with Crystal before the duels had started. Everyone was wondering if it was a good idea to say it with Crystal's gang within earshot.

Before anyone could say anything, Crystal handed Shizuka a note from across the short barrier between the field and the stands. She opened it when her brother's back was turned and everyone read the words that had been scribbled across the torn notebook paper.

It's not your secret to tell!

They all understood, and kept quiet. Soon after there was a coin flip, and the next duel started.

**Jonouchi: 4000 Crystal: 4000**

Jonouchi had won the coin flip, and chose to go first.

"Draw!" Jonouchi began, and then paused before saying, "I place **Swordsman of Landstar **(500/1200) in defense mode. I also place one card face down and end my turn." On the field, a small character with purple and green armor and a large silver sword materialized with an image of a face down card behind it.

"My turn!" Crystal announced. "Draw . . . I play **Bio Mage **(1150/1000) in attack mode!" An almost teardrop shaped creature appeared on the field in front of Crystal. "I'll place on card face down and end my turn."

"My turn!" Jonouchi announces. "Draw . . . I play **Wyvern Warrior **(1500/1200) in attack mode!" As Jonouchi placed the card, an armored alligator appeared in front of him. "**Wyvern Warrior **attack **Bio Mage**!" The alligator slashed Crystal's fairy with its large sword. "Turn finished!"

**LP: Jonouchi: 4000 Crystal:3650**

TO BE CONTINUED!

* * *

><p>AN: I had planned on making the duel and everything that happens during into one chapter but realized after I planned it out that it's going to be too long. I'll have to break it up into three chapters (this being the first one). Hope you enjoy, and I love to hear reviews. ;)


	7. Chapter 7: Tension

Chapter 7

**Jonouchi: LP=4000 Crystal LP=3650**

"My turn!" Crystal announced as the duel continued. "Draw! . . . I'll play **Shining Angel **(1400/800) in attack mode and attack your **Swordsman of Landstar**!" Jonouchi took no damage for the destruction of his defense monster. "I'll also lay one face-down card and end my turn."

"Now it's my turn!" Jonouchi enthusiastically announced. "Draw! Now **Wyvern Warrior**, attack her **Shining Angel**!" The alligator destroyed the blonde man with four wings that Crystal had summoned the turn before and her life points dropped by 100.

"You activated **Shining Angel**'s special ability!" Crystal smiled. "When Shining Angel is sent to the graveyard I can summon one light attribute monster from my deck to the field in attack mode. I choose to summon **Fairy of the Light**(1200/100)!" Crystal pulled the card out of her deck and placed it on the disk. A slender woman dressed in white robes with white hair appeared on the field.

"I end my turn."

**Jonouchi: LP=4000 Monsters=1**** Face Down Cards=1**

**Crystal: LP=3550 Monsters=1 Face Down Cards=2**

"_She's already trying to bring out her __**Yin-Yang Fairy**__"_ Jonouchi was thinking as he stared down the field to Crystal's **Fairy of the Light**. _"With her two face-downs do I really want to risk an attack?"_

"Alright!" Honda exclaimed from the sidelines. "It looks like this duel's starting out in Jonouchi's favor."

"For now," Yugi commented. "Crystal has 2 face down cards. There could be a trap. Jonouchi has to be careful."

"Careful Sis!" Bo, the larger member of Crystal's gang called. "Don't let him get the best of ya!"

"Unlike you," Crystal sneered, "I know what I'm doing.

"You better," Derek commanded. "You know the consequences if you loose."

"Consequences?" Mai wondered.

"Right, I do. No need to remind me so just shut up."

"Come on Crystal!" Kylie cheered, "You can do it! I know you can!"

"Thanks," Crystal's tense expression disappeared only for a moment when she was talking to Kylie, and when she turned to face her opponent again, there was fire in her eyes. "My turn! Draw! . . . I place one monster in face-down defense position and end my turn.!"

"Alright," Jonouchi picked it up, "my turn! Draw! Now, **Wyvern Warrior**, attack her **Fairy of the Light**!" The green armored alligator launched towards the elegant-looking fairy in the white dress.

"Reveal face down card!" Crystal announced as she hit the button on her duel disk to reveal a trap card. "**A Hero Emerges**! This card can only be activated when the opponent announces an attack. You choose one card from my hand, and if that card is a monster card, I special summon it. If it is anything other than a monster card than that card is sent to the graveyard. Now Jonouchi, choose one card."

"Um . . . the one on the far left."

Crystal smiled, "Which means, I summon **Athena **(2600/800) in attack mode. Now, **Athena**, attack his **Wyvern Warrior**!" The armored alligator disappeared after the longhaired fairy in the white dress attacked it with her unique sword. (LP:2900) "Now, I'll switch **Fairy of the Light** into defense position and end my turn."

"Why aren't you attacking?" Bo shouted from the sidelines.

"He has face down cards!" Crystal retaliated. "I didn't come this far to loose."

"My turn! Draw!" Jonouchi called, "Activate magic card!" he flipped the card he had placed earlier. "**Premature Burial** brings back one monster from my graveyard after I pay 800 life points. I'll bring back **Wyvern Warrior **and end my turn."

"I'll lay one face down card and end my turn."

"Come on Sis!" Slick called from the sidelines. "You can take this half-wit!"

"Half-wit?" Jonouchi faced Slick to show how offended he was.

"This coming from the guy," Crystal began, "who tried to get out of a speeding ticket by challenging the cop to a duel."

"Well if it was a girl cop, I could have sweet talked my way out of it. Since it was a guy I figured he'd let me go when I beat him."

"I can't tell what's dumber, your actions or the logic behind them."

"Rude! Why are you defending this guy anyways? Whose side are you on?"

"The side that shuts you up."

The tension between Crystal and her surrogate family had really begun to show and although Jonouchi did not know about the threats, he was beginning to wonder if there was some secret motivation behind Crystal's actions.

**Jonouchi: LP=2100 Monsters=1 (Wyvern Warrior) Face Down=1**

**Crystal: LP=3550 Monsters=3 (Fairy of The Light, Athena, one face down) Face Down=3**

* * *

><p>AN: I changed up the duel a little bit after realizing I used a couple of cards wrong. I think it works now, but I'm not an expert. If you see any problems with my duels feel free to send me a message.


	8. Chapter 8: Finish

Chapter 8

"Why ya hesitatin' Sis?" Bo called from the sidelines. "Finish this guy off already!"

"Will you just shut up and let my concentrate?" Crystal retaliated. "It's not even my turn yet." Crystal's guests were becoming increasingly impatient and even though Jonouchi was not taking any more time than usual.

"Now," Jonouchi announced, "I sacrifice my **Wyvern Warrior** to summon **Red Eyes Black Dragon** (2400/1200)."

"_If only I had my __**Yin-Yang Fairy**__." _Crystal thought to herself. _"I would have this duel almost won if I could get past his dark-attribute dragon to his life points."_

"It's not looking good," Slick taunted, "but don't worry Kylie, if Sis looses I'll be here to _comfort_ you when Sis is kicked to the street."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Crystal snapped.

"I don't know. You tell me."

"Don't you even think about it you perverted creep!"

"Hey, you said it not me."

"Hey Kylie," Mai inched towards the little girl to get her attention.

"Hmm?" Kylie responded.

"Is this guy bothering you?"

"Kinda. He does this all the time though, but he hasn't really done anything because Crystal would beat him up."

"But if you two leave than he wouldn't get to."

"If Crystal could get away with me, gang's just don't let people go without consequences and if Crystal can't beat Derek in a duel before she leaves, they choose a punishment if she still wants to leave."

"Punishment?"

"They're really cruel."

"My turn! Draw!" Crystal announced on the field as she took a card from her deck. "Reveal face down card, **Book of Moon**! This card allows me to flip you **Red Eyes** into face down defense position."

"Cheap trick." Jonouchi commented as his **Red Eyes** was placed into a face down position.

"Yeah." Crystal agreed.

"Buying time?"

"Clearly."

"Well I lay one face down defense monster and another face down card and end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Crystal grinned when she saw the card she had just drawn. "I summon **Fairy of the Darkness** (1200/100) in attack mode. This activates **Athena's** special effect and 600 points are taken from you life point value."

(Jonouchi LP=1500)

"I'm not done yet!" Crystal announced, "Reveal face down card, **Fusion**!" Crystal flipped one of her face down cards. "I fuse **Fairy of the light** and **Fairy of the Darkness** to create **Yin-Yang Fairy**! This, again, activates **Athena's** special ability." Crystal's two fairies were replaced by one new monster and Jonouchi's life points went down again.

"Wait," Shizuka began, "what card is that?"

The others in her group shrugged, everyone except for Yugi.

"I've heard of that card!" he exclaimed. "It's an ultra-rare card that Pegasus gave to a select few in America. Supposedly he only made four of them, at least I think it was four, because he was advised not to mass produce it."

"Why?" Honda asked. "It's a cool card."

"Think about it. All other cards have a set attribute: Light, Dark, Earth, Wind, Fire, or Water. **Yin-Yang Fairy** had two: light and dark. It makes no sense to make an entirely separate attribute for one monster, so Pegasus gave it two."

"But if that's the case," Otogi joined in, "why is it not an illegal card?"

"Beats me."

"Hey you guys," Honda shouted towards Crystal's group. "Do you know why Crystal's still allowed to play that card when it has no set attribute?"

"Sis told us," Derek explained, "that Pegasus felt like he put too much effort into making the monster that he felt like it should be played in a legal game so he made sure no one ever banned it in any dueling database."

"Oh," they all responded.

"My turn!" Crystal announced. "Draw! **Yin-Yang Fairy**, attack his face down card!" The black-and-white fairy took out Jonouchi's one defensive monster. After that Crystal paused to think. _"Right now __**Athena**__ has the advantage over his __**Red Eyes**__ but if those two face down cards are what I think they are, attacking could backfire and I don't have a counter card to negate any magic cards in my hand or on the field." _

"Come on Sis!" Bo shouted from the sidelines, "No guts, no glory!"

"Ah! Fine! **Athena**, take out his **Red Eyes Black Dragon**!"

"Fell for it," Jonouchi sang. "Reveal face down card **Demon Dice**!" As Jonouchi flipped the card, a small half-black half-white creature with a red die appeared and threw the die on the field. The die rolled and landed on one. "Now **Athena's** attack power is reduced by 100 points."

"It's still not enough."

"That's why I have this."

"Oh great."

"Reveal other face down card **Angel Dice**! This roll will increase my **Red Eyes** pints depending on the number I get." A little yellow creature with a pink hat rolled a one on a blue die. "We're even!"

Both monsters had 2500 attack points after the dice rolls, so when **Athena** made contact with **Red Eyes Black Dragon** they both vanished from the field and no life points were reduced.

**Jonouchi: LP=900 Monsters=0 Face Down=0**

**Crystal: LP=3550 Monsters=1 Face Down=1**

Once Mai gave her the totals on the duel, Kylie squealed with excitement saying, "You're gonna win! I'm sure of it sis"

"It is looking good," Derek commented.

"Looks like Little One might not need me to _comfort_ her after all." Slick mentioned as he stroke Kylie's hair. Kylie shuttered as he added, "Oh well, we can still have fun, just you and me."

"Hey you jerk!" Mai butted in, "Leave the girl alone already! You're scaring her."

"Oh, I'm sooooo sorry. Maybe I'll just have a little fun with you blondie."

Mai clenched her fists and said "I'll show you fun you loser!" The next second Mai had lost her temper and was throwing fists at Slick, connecting with every swing. All the others just watched. Even as Slick cried for backup no one moved.

"Kudjaku Mai!" Kaiba called from the edge of the field where he had been watching the duel. "Physical violence against the duelists or audience will get you disqualified. This is your only warning."

"My turn!" Jonouchi announced before he drew. While he was thinking about his next move, more verbal arguments were commencing in the stands.

"Don't you know how to treat a lady?" Mai was fuming, "Especially a sweet little one like this. Treat her with respect you nimrods!"

"It's not our fault," Derek calmly defended. "Crystal agreed that if she lost this tournament and a duel with me that we could punish her and Kylie for disrespecting our clan."

"I SAID NO SUCH THING!" Crystal interjected from the field. "In fact, I remember saying that if you try _anything_ that I would beat you to a pulp. I'm sick of you creeps and I'm leaving this ridiculous gang AS SOON AS I WIN!"

"You know," Slick was saying, "even if she leaves us before we get back home, I still have time to _punish_ Kylie for it."

"You keep you hands off her you creep!" Mai said as she grabbed Slick by the collar.

"Mai," Kaiba scolded before she could throw a punch.

"I know, but this guy deserves it."

"True, but I can't exempt you from the rules."

Mai searched through her deck and pulled out two cards, the **Susa Soldier** she won from her previous opponent and her own **Harpie Lady**. As she handed them to Kaiba she said, "Crystal deserves to win anyway."

"I'll have to kick you out of my stadium for this."

"Ah, I can get a few good hit in before your guys get to me."

As Kaiba walked back to the field where the duel was still stalled, he looked at his security team standing on the sidelines and mouthed the words "Don't rush."

A few more seconds went by before everyone heard the referee say "Jonouchi surrenders! The winner is Crystal!"

"What?" a few confused voices, including Crystal's, sounded through the arena.

"Couldn't handle a real duel could you, Katsuya?" Kaiba commented.

"I got a bad hand!" Jonouchi defended as he flashed his cards in front of Kaiba's face. In his hand he held **Fusion**, **Psycho Shocker**, **Gilford the Lightning**, **Blue Flame Swordsman**, **Knight of Dark Dragons** (a ritual card), and **Release Restraint**.

"See," he commented, "none of my monsters can be summoned without a sacrifice and none of the magic cards can help me if she attacks. And besides I agree with Mai." Jonouchi turned and walked towards Crystal.

"Thank you," she mouthed.

"Don't mention it. With what you're doing for your sister, and how brave you are to stand up against those jerks after living with them for so long, you deserve to win."

Crystal smiled as tears filled her eyes and she was handed the three cards she had won and a check for the prize money.

* * *

><p>Almost a week later, when everyone had returned home, Crystal caught Derek aside to make a deal. "I'm not letting you hurt Kylie either way," she started.<p>

"It's Slick you have to worry, Sis."

"But I AM leaving. So how about this, instead of taking all my rare cards, I'll leave you with this one and half of my prize money." She placed the **Suza Soldier** and exactly half of the prize money in cash she had won from the tournament on the table in front of her.

"No," he quickly replied.

"NO!"

"Okay, yes."

"That quick to change your mind?"

"On one condition."

"Of course."

"Beat me in a duel. Otherwise when you leave, you leave me what you just offered PLUS your **Yin-Yang Fairy** and its two fusion monsters."

"And you won't hurt Kylie."

"If you win, or I get one of the rarest cards in the world, then I promise not to hurt Kylie."

"Agreed." The two walked to the large empty room of the California Rare Card Hunters home that was meant for dueling. After they shuffled each other's decks and walked to opposite ends of the room they faced each other.

"No backing out now, Sis," Derek warned.

"I know." Crystal replied.

"Okay then."

"DUEL!"

* * *

><p>AN: Had to make some changes to this chapter after I posted this the first time too. Hope you all like it.


	9. Chapter 9: New Life

Chapter 9

DING DONG! The doorbell to Mai's apartment rang, startling her.

"He's early isn't he?" she said as she looked for a clock.

"Nope," her summer roommate answered. "You're running behind Mai-san."

"A lady is never late, it's the guy whose always early," Mai commented over her shoulder as she opened the door. "I'm not ready."

"You're the one who said two-o-clock." Jonouchi defended as he stepped inside the door.

"Yeah, well when a girl says 'two-o-clock' she really means two-fifteen."

Jonouchi chuckled, "I'll make sure to remember that."

"Hi there," the roommate greeted as she hopped off the couch. The brunette stood in front of Jonouchi with a friendly smile on her face.

"Anzu! I didn't know you were living here."

"Yeah, just for the summer. I'm going back to New York when the fall semester starts."

"Not doing classes in the summer?"

"No, actually I got a job as a performer here in Tokyo for the summer."

"Cool. I'll have to come see you perform sometime."

"Yeah, you and Mai can have your second date at this Friday's dinner theater."

"Dinner theater? I didn't know there was one in this area."

"It's new."

"I'm ready!" Mai butt in, grabbing Jonouchi's arm.

"Great!" Jonouchi blushed. "We . . . uh . . . have" he looked down at his watch as a nervous habit. "Twenty minutes until the movie starts! Lets go!"

Mai waved as she headed out the door and called, "I'll be back!"

* * *

><p>It was a hot day in Texas. Crystal was thrilled that the remainder of her money was able to take her at least past the state lines. After giving half to Derek to pay for her escape, she was unsure both her and Kylie could make it even that far.<p>

"So, where exactly is this place again?" Kylie asked.

"The Country Days Ranch just outside Austin, Texas. This is the best paying job around here I can g- Kylie look out!" Crystal seized Kylie off the ground as the rattlesnake she caught sight of slithered past them. As she placed her sister back on the ground she said, "Promise me you won't go out by yourself."

Kylie nodded as the large gate they had been standing in front of opened and a horse pulling a wooden cart with two men stopped in front of them.

"Howdy," the larger man with the sandy-brown hair jumped off the horse. "I'm Ted."

"I'm Crystal, and this is Kylie."

"Nice to have you as a part of our team Crystal." Ted said as he began handing their luggage to the white-haired boy in the cart.

"Thanks." Crystal helped Kylie into the cart before pulling herself up. They all sat down and Ted ordered the horses to go.

"Um," the nervous boy began, "I saw you . . . in the tournament."

"Oh you watched my duels?"

"Yeah. I had heard about your skill so I watched you whenever I got the chance. You're a really great duelist."

"Thanks. Although, I have to admit that I probably rely on my **Yin-Yang Fairy** a bit too much."

The boy chuckled, "maybe."

"Hey, I didn't ask your name."

"Oh, it's Bakura Ryo."

"Nice to meet you Bakura."

* * *

><p>AN: Just a short chapter to let you know where these characters will be in the next FanFic they show up in (Bond of Friendship), but before that be on the lookout for my next Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic "Duel with a CEO: Kaiba vs OC 1-shot"


End file.
